WEBVTT 00:00:00.180 --> 00:00:04.440 The scripture reading comes from Luke 19, starting at verse 1. 00:00:04.660 --> 00:00:07.320 Please follow along on the screen or in your Bible. 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:11.060 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 00:00:11.540 --> 00:00:14.419 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. 00:00:15.099 --> 00:00:17.960 He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:21.019 And he was not seeking to see who Jesus was, 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:25.240 but on account of the crowd he could not because he was small in stature. 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:30.479 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, 00:00:30.959 --> 00:00:32.960 for he was about to pass that way. 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:37.239 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 00:00:38.079 --> 00:00:42.140 Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:46.019 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:48.579 And when they saw it, they all grumbled. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:52.019 He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. 00:00:52.619 --> 00:00:54.859 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:58.579 Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:03.600 And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. 00:01:04.240 --> 00:01:05.740 And Jesus said to him, 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:08.540 Today salvation has come to this house, 00:01:09.140 --> 00:01:11.540 since he also is a son of Abraham. 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:15.560 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:16.340 Amen. 00:01:17.520 --> 00:01:21.040 Great. I'd love to introduce our speaker to us this morning. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.340 This morning we are going to be listening to Max Jaganathan, 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:29.820 who is originally from Sri Lanka, but moved to Australia at a young age. 00:01:30.299 --> 00:01:34.260 And having grown up in Australia, he then studied law and politics, 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:38.780 both at the National University of Australia as well as University in Oxford. 00:01:39.340 --> 00:01:43.980 He has also worked advising political leaders in Australia, 00:01:43.980 --> 00:01:49.040 and he now works for RZIM as a speaker and also regional director 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:51.980 for the Asia-Pacific branch of RZIM. 00:01:52.600 --> 00:01:54.200 Max is a friend of Watermark. 00:01:54.320 --> 00:01:55.360 He has spoken here before. 00:01:55.600 --> 00:01:59.219 He leads a fantastic team of speakers and apologists, 00:01:59.380 --> 00:02:02.260 and it really is a great privilege to have him speaking to us today 00:02:02.260 --> 00:02:03.580 on the subject of, 00:02:03.820 --> 00:02:06.960 Why do I need God if I'm happy already? 00:02:07.380 --> 00:02:10.340 Let's welcome Max Jaganathan to us this morning. 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:15.640 Good morning, Watermark community. 00:02:15.920 --> 00:02:18.340 It's such a blessing to be able to share this message with you. 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:20.819 I'm so sorry that I'm not able to be there in person. 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:24.620 It's been a couple of years, I think, since I've been with you physically, 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:26.740 but I remember that time fondly, 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:30.980 and I'm in touch with many from your community pretty regularly. 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:32.240 And so we've been praying for you. 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:35.560 We at RZIM hope things are going well there 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:37.599 as you in Hong Kong come out of the pandemic 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:40.219 and as the Lord calls and leads you 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:42.560 as the Watermark family and community 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:46.759 to great new depths as we approach this Christmas season 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:48.939 and into the new year ahead as well. 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:51.960 I want to talk to you about a topic that I think is 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:54.819 as important and relevant as it ever has been 00:02:54.819 --> 00:02:59.000 as we continue to battle our way through a post-truth culture, 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:00.120 a post-truth world, 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:02.300 and trying to make sense of what that actually means, 00:03:02.300 --> 00:03:05.860 and particularly what that means for the big questions in life. 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.900 And when we think about how much hostility there is, 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:11.420 how much uncertainty there is, 00:03:11.480 --> 00:03:12.880 how much volatility there is, 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:15.700 how much anxiety there is out there in the world 00:03:15.700 --> 00:03:17.360 for so many different reasons, 00:03:17.920 --> 00:03:19.800 this question often comes up, 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:23.040 why bother with God if I'm happy? 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:24.660 Now, it's an interesting question because, 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:26.720 as I said, with so much negativity around, 00:03:27.140 --> 00:03:28.860 it seems that a lot of people aren't that happy. 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:33.640 But a lot of people still remain focused and committed 00:03:33.640 --> 00:03:38.820 to this idea that if they can find a way to find happiness 00:03:38.820 --> 00:03:40.140 and achieve happiness for themselves, 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:41.660 and they don't need anything else, 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:46.500 we've built for ourselves individual self-focus models 00:03:46.500 --> 00:03:48.260 and paradigms of fulfillment. 00:03:48.820 --> 00:03:53.120 And if we can make things work relatively well most of the time, 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.680 according to those paradigms of fulfillment, 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:58.480 then we think that we don't need anything else. 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.319 And it all stems from this transactional mindset 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:04.099 that we seem to have lulled ourselves into. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:06.899 And some of that can be understood through simply 00:04:06.899 --> 00:04:09.379 the global systems that we've created for ourselves, 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:11.939 whether it's our economic and financial systems, 00:04:12.079 --> 00:04:15.339 whether it's our geopolitical and geographic systems 00:04:15.339 --> 00:04:16.240 of people movement. 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:17.620 It's very transactional. 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:18.680 You give and you get. 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:21.099 It's all driven by supply and demand. 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:23.019 And so when we go to the shops and we buy something, 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:24.680 we give and we receive. 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:28.079 And so it's easy to think that what we are seeking to achieve 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:30.540 is this transacted happiness, 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:33.100 where you just do certain things that make you happy. 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:35.459 And the better you do them, the more happy you become. 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:37.699 And once you have that level of happiness, 00:04:37.939 --> 00:04:39.720 that's all you really need. 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:42.340 You don't need to look any further than that. 00:04:42.379 --> 00:04:44.699 But the problem is we continue to struggle, 00:04:44.840 --> 00:04:48.399 both inside our own hearts and in the world around us that we see. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:52.939 It seems like happiness isn't quite cutting it. 00:04:53.060 --> 00:04:55.659 And so I want to talk about three things today. 00:04:56.199 --> 00:04:56.739 Three things. 00:04:56.819 --> 00:04:58.219 Three answers to the question, 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:00.679 why bother with God if I'm happy? 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:02.779 And the three things are these. 00:05:03.359 --> 00:05:04.899 Because truth is indispensable. 00:05:05.620 --> 00:05:07.399 Because suffering is unavoidable. 00:05:07.939 --> 00:05:09.399 And because happiness is not enough. 00:05:09.919 --> 00:05:11.239 Because truth is indispensable, 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:12.599 suffering is unavoidable, 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:14.799 and ultimately happiness is not enough. 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:17.340 And we see some of these themes come through 00:05:17.340 --> 00:05:21.199 in the biblical story of Zacchaeus. 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:22.900 Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:27.060 this guy who is of enormous economic and financial power and influence, 00:05:27.379 --> 00:05:28.780 but is socially excluded, 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:32.800 is socially and culturally ostracized from his very own community. 00:05:33.519 --> 00:05:34.920 And he's hated amongst his people. 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:37.939 And yet he has built for himself, as we all do, 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:41.000 a paradigm of fulfillment through wealth, 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:42.340 through financial wealth. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.620 Now, we don't all do it through financial wealth, 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:48.959 but obviously financial affluence is a big and very common model 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:52.560 of prosperity and achievement and success today. 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:54.439 But we don't always do it in the way Zacchaeus did. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:56.399 But we all have our paradigms of fulfillment. 00:05:56.819 --> 00:05:59.860 Zacchaeus has happened to be financial affluence, 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:02.100 and perhaps even political influence, 00:06:02.180 --> 00:06:03.540 given how senior he was. 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:05.600 We know he was a chief tax collector. 00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:06.879 But in the midst of that, 00:06:07.340 --> 00:06:11.160 we still see that he found it in himself that morning 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:13.080 to go and see Jesus, 00:06:13.260 --> 00:06:15.580 to go and get a look at this Jesus. 00:06:15.780 --> 00:06:17.880 Now, clearly, something else was needed. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.000 Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered. 00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:20.040 If he was really happy, 00:06:20.420 --> 00:06:22.439 why bother going to see who this Jesus is? 00:06:22.500 --> 00:06:25.360 Even if you weren't entirely sure who he was 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:26.760 or whether this whole thing was a hoax, 00:06:27.320 --> 00:06:29.660 why would you bother going to see Jesus? 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:32.580 So why bother with God if you're happy? 00:06:32.860 --> 00:06:34.120 Because truth is indispensable, 00:06:34.460 --> 00:06:35.420 suffering is unavoidable, 00:06:35.700 --> 00:06:36.660 and happiness is not enough. 00:06:36.740 --> 00:06:37.800 Let's have a look at this 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:41.140 with a little bit of regard to Zacchaeus' story, 00:06:41.340 --> 00:06:42.240 but more importantly, 00:06:42.640 --> 00:06:46.440 with a stronger focus on your and my heart individually. 00:06:46.900 --> 00:06:48.300 And it doesn't really matter where you are, 00:06:48.420 --> 00:06:49.660 on that walk with God, 00:06:49.780 --> 00:06:50.900 on your wrestle with God, 00:06:50.980 --> 00:06:52.140 on your struggle with God, 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:54.200 or perhaps even in your rejection of God. 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:56.980 I hope this is relevant for you. 00:06:57.939 --> 00:07:00.560 There's a sociologist called George Ritzer. 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:02.700 There was a sociologist, an American sociologist. 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:05.759 And he talked about the cultural and economic phenomenon 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:07.140 called McDonaldization. 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:09.060 And McDonaldization, 00:07:09.379 --> 00:07:12.540 he referred to in the context of four things. 00:07:13.140 --> 00:07:16.140 Efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control. 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:18.960 And of course, he was referring to the fast food chain. 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:20.160 But what he was also talking about 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:22.259 was this cultural and psychological reality 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:23.560 that more and more, 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:26.640 people simply just want what they want when they want it. 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:28.740 And then they get on with their lives. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:29.120 That's it. 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:31.300 It's all about material needs and material wants. 00:07:31.580 --> 00:07:34.660 So McDonaldization very much fits in some ways 00:07:34.660 --> 00:07:36.259 with Zacchaeus' life. 00:07:36.660 --> 00:07:37.740 You know, just get wealthy, 00:07:37.840 --> 00:07:38.439 get what you need, 00:07:38.520 --> 00:07:39.680 get what you want quickly. 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:42.040 That kind of drive-through culture, 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:42.640 that Amazon, 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:44.340 that kind of immediate click, 00:07:44.700 --> 00:07:46.680 one-click culture that we have moved into. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:47.240 And of course, 00:07:47.660 --> 00:07:49.340 the industrial and computing revolutions 00:07:49.340 --> 00:07:51.560 have really sped this up and helped this out. 00:07:51.700 --> 00:07:52.500 And if anything, 00:07:52.960 --> 00:07:55.060 the pandemic has actually accelerated this 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:57.720 because we are ordering more and more and more things 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.800 from food to groceries to electronics to clothing 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:04.560 to music to multimedia entertainment, 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:06.220 whether it's Netflix or Amazon Prime, 00:08:06.259 --> 00:08:06.740 whatever it is, 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:07.920 we're all just ordering it 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:10.780 and having it delivered literally to our doorsteps 00:08:10.780 --> 00:08:12.100 or to our screens, 00:08:12.279 --> 00:08:13.439 to our handheld devices. 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:14.660 So McDonaldization, 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:16.360 which Ritzer actually came up with, 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:18.000 I think, in the 50s or 60s, 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.480 has been accelerated through the last, 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:22.560 not just 10 to 15 years, 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:25.259 but particularly you can make the case disproportionately 00:08:25.259 --> 00:08:27.800 in the last 12 to 24 months as well. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.139 So why then would we bother? 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:32.059 If we can have the things that we want, 00:08:32.379 --> 00:08:33.740 if materially at least, 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:35.360 even in the context of entertainment, 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:37.700 in the context of short-term pleasure and desire, 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:39.019 if we can have everything we want, 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:40.960 why would we bother with God? 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:43.259 Well, the first point I want to make 00:08:43.259 --> 00:08:45.059 is that truth is indispensable. 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:46.500 Truth is indispensable. 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:50.720 And we see this in Zacchaeus' response 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:52.980 to the news that Jesus is coming to town. 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:54.419 He's wealthy. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:56.200 He's stinking rich, in fact. 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.559 And he's full of economic and cultural power. 00:08:58.659 --> 00:09:00.200 He's in with the Roman authorities. 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:03.919 And yet he still knows that something is not quite right. 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:05.860 And so he gets up and he comes. 00:09:06.659 --> 00:09:08.399 He comes and he climbs the sycamore tree 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.899 just to get a glimpse of this Jesus. 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:12.500 He's looking for something. 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:13.460 And I want to suggest to you 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:15.240 that he's looking what we are all looking for. 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:16.419 On some level, 00:09:16.539 --> 00:09:18.759 one of the things that Zacchaeus is looking for that day 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.180 and that we are all looking for is truth. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:23.960 Absolute objective truth. 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:26.000 Because the post-truth culture 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:29.159 will tell you that truth doesn't really matter. 00:09:29.680 --> 00:09:31.740 That what matters more are your feelings. 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:33.539 Your feelings are the most important thing. 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:37.419 And yet we know that the denial or rejection of truth 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:40.060 fails on two very important fronts. 00:09:40.700 --> 00:09:41.899 It fails logically 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:45.220 because you simply can't deny the existence of absolute truth. 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:46.460 without affirming it. 00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:48.299 And it also fails experientially 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:49.620 as we see some from Zacchaeus 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:51.100 and from our own hearts too. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:54.220 Because every human heart longs for truth. 00:09:54.539 --> 00:09:55.519 Longs for coherence. 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:57.759 Longs for a better understanding of reality. 00:09:58.539 --> 00:09:58.680 Right? 00:09:58.840 --> 00:09:59.960 So what about the logical flaw? 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:00.799 Let me start with that. 00:10:01.500 --> 00:10:02.840 Denying truth fails logically. 00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:04.060 We know this 00:10:04.060 --> 00:10:05.680 because if anyone says to you 00:10:05.680 --> 00:10:07.180 truth does not exist, 00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:08.320 all you have to say to them 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:09.139 is to say, 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:10.639 was that statement true? 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.399 Was that statement that you just said, 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:14.179 was that true? 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:15.980 Now, you've asked them 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:17.840 a propositional binary question. 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:19.600 They have to either say yes or no. 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:20.740 They say, 00:10:21.019 --> 00:10:22.059 there's no such thing as truth. 00:10:22.439 --> 00:10:23.240 You respond, 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:24.240 was that true? 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:25.399 If they say yes, 00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:26.399 then they are making 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:27.559 an objective truth claim, 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:28.779 an absolute truth claim, 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:29.580 and thereby, 00:10:30.019 --> 00:10:31.460 they are denying and detracting 00:10:31.460 --> 00:10:32.080 from the substance 00:10:32.080 --> 00:10:32.960 of what they're trying to say. 00:10:33.139 --> 00:10:33.799 So they're admitting 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:35.620 that the substance of their claim is false 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:36.299 because they're admitting 00:10:36.299 --> 00:10:37.620 that they're trying to make a truth statement. 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:39.379 If they say no, 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:39.960 it's not true, 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:40.740 then once again, 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:41.320 they're admitting 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:42.560 that the substance of their statement 00:10:42.560 --> 00:10:43.200 is false. 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:44.980 So whichever way you answer that question, 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:47.419 we see that truth exists. 00:10:47.659 --> 00:10:48.679 We see that that statement, 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:49.879 truth does not exist, 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:51.379 implodes on itself. 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:54.179 It implodes before it even gets off the runway. 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:55.539 It doesn't even take off. 00:10:55.679 --> 00:10:57.799 And we're not using Christian principles 00:10:57.799 --> 00:10:59.419 or any kind of religious principles 00:10:59.419 --> 00:11:01.000 or metaphysical assumptions here. 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:02.279 These are just very simple, 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:04.279 widely accepted principles of logic. 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:05.720 Aristotle called it 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:07.100 the law of non-contradiction. 00:11:07.100 --> 00:11:09.279 You can't try and deny 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:10.639 the existence of absolute truth 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:11.960 because you have to make 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:13.259 an absolute truth claim 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:14.320 in order to do that. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:16.759 So we know logically and philosophically, 00:11:17.040 --> 00:11:18.259 before we even open the Bible, 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:19.840 that absolute truth exists. 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:21.820 Absolute truth does exist. 00:11:22.040 --> 00:11:23.000 And we can know it 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:25.360 because any denial of those two things 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:26.899 implodes on itself logically. 00:11:27.320 --> 00:11:28.879 And when we look at the Christian message, 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:30.000 we see something incredible. 00:11:30.340 --> 00:11:33.180 We see that the means to truth 00:11:33.180 --> 00:11:35.019 is exactly what we would expect 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:36.300 the means to truth to be 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:38.299 if we were following the principles of logic. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:39.859 And Plato is helpful here, 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:40.819 the ancient Greek philosopher. 00:11:41.159 --> 00:11:41.539 He said, 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:43.319 all you have to do to find truth 00:11:43.319 --> 00:11:45.479 is follow the evidence to where it leads. 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:47.579 Just follow the evidence to where it leads. 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:49.759 Follow the evidence to where it leads. 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:50.919 And when we look in the Bible, 00:11:51.159 --> 00:11:53.099 what we see again and again and again 00:11:53.099 --> 00:11:55.059 is an invitation to question, 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:57.299 is a presentation of evidence, 00:11:57.679 --> 00:11:58.639 propositional evidence, 00:11:58.799 --> 00:11:59.659 historical evidence, 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:00.779 philosophical evidence. 00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:01.620 Ultimately, 00:12:02.079 --> 00:12:03.399 the person of Jesus Christ 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:04.159 who turns up 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:05.659 and doesn't say simply, 00:12:06.059 --> 00:12:06.720 this is the truth, 00:12:06.819 --> 00:12:07.419 this is the truth, 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:08.139 this is the truth. 00:12:08.259 --> 00:12:10.079 He does make a number of truth claims 00:12:10.079 --> 00:12:11.379 and backs them up in many ways, 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:13.039 but ultimately he points to himself 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:13.980 and he says, 00:12:14.079 --> 00:12:15.579 I am the truth. 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:17.879 So we know that to find truth, 00:12:17.939 --> 00:12:18.839 we have to follow the evidence 00:12:18.839 --> 00:12:19.620 to where it leads. 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:21.679 And we know that in this Christian message, 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:24.059 we are presented with propositional evidence. 00:12:24.059 --> 00:12:26.220 And both inside and outside the Bible now, 00:12:26.299 --> 00:12:26.799 if we look, 00:12:27.319 --> 00:12:28.059 there is evidence, 00:12:28.220 --> 00:12:29.579 mountains and mountains of evidence. 00:12:29.580 --> 00:12:31.460 If we are willing to engage with it 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:33.500 and to follow it to where it leads. 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:34.740 And Zacchaeus, 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:35.740 interestingly that morning, 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:37.120 he did exactly that. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:39.560 He was looking for something beyond his life. 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:40.560 He was looking for truth. 00:12:40.660 --> 00:12:41.580 He knew that there was something 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:42.960 about the way he was living 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:44.300 that wasn't quite in keeping 00:12:44.300 --> 00:12:47.520 with the nature of reality itself. 00:12:47.780 --> 00:12:49.020 And so he followed the evidence 00:12:49.020 --> 00:12:51.879 and finally he followed it to Jesus 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:53.460 and then followed Jesus. 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:55.060 So any denial of truth 00:12:55.060 --> 00:12:58.300 proves itself to be contradictory 00:12:58.299 --> 00:12:59.559 and falsifies itself 00:12:59.559 --> 00:13:01.559 in the process of trying to deny truth. 00:13:02.059 --> 00:13:03.339 We know that truth is indispensable. 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:04.259 But secondly, 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:05.819 and perhaps even more powerfully, 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:07.419 even if you put that logical 00:13:07.419 --> 00:13:09.019 and philosophical stuff aside, 00:13:09.359 --> 00:13:11.379 the truth is just a very natural yearning 00:13:11.379 --> 00:13:12.299 of every human heart. 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:13.959 We're all looking for truth. 00:13:14.079 --> 00:13:15.279 Many of you will be familiar 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:16.819 with the old Jim Carrey movie, 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:17.579 The Truman Show, 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:19.279 where Truman Burbank is living 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:21.559 what seems to be an idyllic kind of life. 00:13:21.819 --> 00:13:22.039 You know, 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:23.359 in a town that's clean, 00:13:23.439 --> 00:13:24.079 there's no crime, 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:24.699 he has a job, 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:25.339 he has friends. 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:26.080 But of course, 00:13:26.180 --> 00:13:27.780 the premise of the entire movie 00:13:27.780 --> 00:13:29.500 is that it's all a lie. 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:30.980 Everyone in his life 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:32.100 and in that town is an actor, 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:33.019 except him. 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:35.000 He was taken as a little baby, 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.660 adopted by a multi-billion dollar 00:13:37.660 --> 00:13:38.680 media corporation, 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:40.040 and his entire life 00:13:40.040 --> 00:13:42.080 was turned into a reality TV show, 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:44.220 streamed live over cable, 00:13:45.280 --> 00:13:46.139 24 hours a day, 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:46.940 seven days a week. 00:13:47.280 --> 00:13:48.379 And Truman doesn't know this. 00:13:48.420 --> 00:13:49.139 And the whole movie 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:52.580 is about him discovering by chance, 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:55.080 through a series of strange occurrences 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:55.660 in his life, 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:57.340 that his life is in fact a lie. 00:13:57.580 --> 00:13:59.139 And then trying to escape. 00:13:59.800 --> 00:14:00.879 And the whole movie, 00:14:01.160 --> 00:14:01.980 we as the audience, 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:02.940 doesn't matter what you believe 00:14:02.940 --> 00:14:03.480 or who you are, 00:14:03.660 --> 00:14:05.040 you are cheering for Truman. 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:06.120 We are rooting for him 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:07.960 to break out of this lie. 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:10.600 Because no one wants to live a lie. 00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:11.900 No one wants to live a life 00:14:11.900 --> 00:14:12.960 based on betrayal, 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:14.720 or based on deception, 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.460 or based on incoherence. 00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:18.040 The truth is indispensable, 00:14:18.520 --> 00:14:18.800 yes, 00:14:18.920 --> 00:14:19.780 because it's logically 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:21.080 and philosophically indispensable, 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:23.020 but perhaps more powerfully, 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:25.020 because it's experientially 00:14:25.020 --> 00:14:26.900 and existentially indispensable. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:28.440 None of us want to live a lie. 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:29.820 None of us want to be lied to. 00:14:30.160 --> 00:14:31.180 None of us who are in relationships 00:14:31.180 --> 00:14:32.120 want to be cheated on. 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:33.420 None of us who are in friendships 00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:34.259 want to be betrayed. 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:35.860 None of us want to be deceived. 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:37.360 We all know that there's something 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:38.759 intrinsically wrong with that. 00:14:38.800 --> 00:14:40.000 And you don't need to be a Christian 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:41.340 to sense that 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:42.620 and to be honest about that feeling. 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:44.580 So why bother with God 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:45.140 if we're happy? 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:45.780 Number one, 00:14:46.400 --> 00:14:48.040 because truth is indispensable. 00:14:48.400 --> 00:14:49.580 And if you follow the evidence 00:14:49.580 --> 00:14:50.460 to where it leads, 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:52.020 as Zacchaeus found, 00:14:52.300 --> 00:14:53.060 as I have found, 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:54.500 as many, many of you have found, 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:55.540 it will lead you 00:14:55.540 --> 00:14:56.879 to the person of Jesus Christ. 00:14:57.040 --> 00:14:58.000 But you've got to follow it 00:14:58.000 --> 00:14:58.820 like Plato said. 00:14:58.860 --> 00:14:59.540 You've got to follow it 00:14:59.540 --> 00:15:00.340 to where it leads. 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:02.180 We can't simply follow the evidence 00:15:02.180 --> 00:15:03.259 while it's comfortable, 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:04.540 while it's convenient, 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:05.720 while we agree 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:06.860 with where it's leading us. 00:15:06.940 --> 00:15:07.120 No. 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:08.120 We have to follow it 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:09.040 all the way to where it leads 00:15:09.040 --> 00:15:09.860 and it will lead you 00:15:09.860 --> 00:15:11.560 to the person of Jesus Christ. 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:13.240 Truth is indispensable. 00:15:13.800 --> 00:15:14.400 Secondly then, 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:15.920 suffering is unavoidable. 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:17.480 There's a famous novel 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:18.379 called Gilead 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:19.620 by a great writer 00:15:19.620 --> 00:15:20.639 called Marilynne Robinson. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:22.460 She won a Pulitzer Prize 00:15:22.460 --> 00:15:23.039 for this novel. 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:24.320 And in that novel, 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:26.220 she makes two very powerful statements. 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:26.799 She says, 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:28.960 and it's a fictional book, 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:29.340 of course, 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:29.939 but she says, 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:31.439 there are two realities 00:15:31.439 --> 00:15:33.100 that plague all of creation. 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:35.899 My insufficiency to the world 00:15:35.899 --> 00:15:38.200 and the world's insufficiency to me. 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:39.980 There's something very insightful 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:40.580 about that. 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:41.740 She's basically just saying, 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:43.320 it doesn't matter how hard I work, 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:43.960 how well I do, 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:45.200 how happy I think I am. 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:46.840 There's always something about me 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:48.500 deep down that doesn't feel quite right. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:50.180 And there's always something 00:15:50.180 --> 00:15:50.900 at the same time 00:15:50.900 --> 00:15:52.000 about the world out there 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:53.640 that doesn't seem quite right. 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:55.000 It doesn't matter what we do, 00:15:55.400 --> 00:15:56.980 I know the reality is 00:15:56.980 --> 00:15:57.800 that I'm imperfect 00:15:57.800 --> 00:15:59.680 and the world is imperfect. 00:16:00.540 --> 00:16:02.100 And because of those two realities, 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:03.879 there is always going to be 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:05.300 suffering in the world. 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:06.280 Suffering is probably 00:16:06.280 --> 00:16:07.259 the most ubiquitous 00:16:07.259 --> 00:16:08.560 human condition there is. 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:09.740 We all deal with it. 00:16:09.800 --> 00:16:11.040 It doesn't matter who you are 00:16:11.040 --> 00:16:11.780 or what you believe 00:16:11.780 --> 00:16:12.720 or what you don't believe. 00:16:13.180 --> 00:16:13.960 Everyone suffers 00:16:13.960 --> 00:16:15.560 and everyone at any given moment, 00:16:15.620 --> 00:16:16.259 even right now, 00:16:16.300 --> 00:16:17.240 I'm sure you're all dealing 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:18.960 with elements of suffering 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:19.540 in your life 00:16:19.540 --> 00:16:20.700 or at the very least, 00:16:21.320 --> 00:16:22.300 you're dealing with the suffering 00:16:22.300 --> 00:16:23.420 of people very close to you 00:16:23.420 --> 00:16:24.259 who are going through 00:16:24.259 --> 00:16:25.860 even more visceral suffering 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:26.360 at the moment. 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:27.740 We all suffer. 00:16:28.660 --> 00:16:28.920 And so, 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:30.800 in response to the question, 00:16:30.920 --> 00:16:31.580 why bother with God 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:32.400 if we're happy, 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:33.680 we still have to have 00:16:33.680 --> 00:16:35.639 a response to suffering. 00:16:36.180 --> 00:16:37.180 And any worldview 00:16:37.180 --> 00:16:40.040 that desires to be taken seriously 00:16:40.040 --> 00:16:41.900 has to have some kind of a response 00:16:41.899 --> 00:16:42.959 to the problem 00:16:42.959 --> 00:16:43.860 and the reality 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:44.959 of human suffering. 00:16:45.439 --> 00:16:46.240 And to their credit, 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:47.379 most worldviews out there 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:48.720 have some kind of a response. 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:49.379 And I'm not going to go 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:50.159 into them specifically. 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:51.059 I'm not going to name them. 00:16:51.179 --> 00:16:52.419 But the broad categories 00:16:52.419 --> 00:16:53.159 of response 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:54.220 are very clear. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.299 There is one category 00:16:55.299 --> 00:16:55.779 of worldview 00:16:55.779 --> 00:16:56.240 that says, 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:56.500 look, 00:16:56.819 --> 00:16:58.360 there is a God out there 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:00.319 and he recognizes 00:17:00.319 --> 00:17:01.240 that there is suffering, 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:02.519 but it's just his will. 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:03.579 You just have to shut up 00:17:03.579 --> 00:17:04.299 and deal with it. 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:06.019 He has no moral connection 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:07.240 or moral obligation 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:08.500 to you or your suffering. 00:17:08.740 --> 00:17:09.079 He doesn't need 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:09.839 to explain himself. 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:10.899 You don't even have the right 00:17:10.899 --> 00:17:12.240 to ask him about your suffering. 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:14.139 Just shut up and deal with it. 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:15.159 It's his will. 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:16.679 There's another category 00:17:16.679 --> 00:17:17.199 of worldview 00:17:17.199 --> 00:17:18.659 that says that suffering 00:17:18.659 --> 00:17:20.959 is all the direct fault 00:17:20.959 --> 00:17:22.000 of the sufferer. 00:17:22.959 --> 00:17:24.039 So it's because of something 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:24.759 you have done. 00:17:25.199 --> 00:17:26.279 All suffering is caused 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:27.299 by the individuals 00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:28.720 who are experiencing 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:29.299 that suffering. 00:17:29.639 --> 00:17:30.379 They did something 00:17:30.379 --> 00:17:31.359 either in this life 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:32.980 or perhaps in a previous life 00:17:32.980 --> 00:17:33.939 and that's why 00:17:33.939 --> 00:17:34.419 they're suffering. 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:36.059 There's another category 00:17:36.059 --> 00:17:36.619 of worldview 00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:37.599 that says, 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:39.039 and this is a curious one, 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:40.200 that all suffering 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:41.000 is an illusion. 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:42.480 It's only because 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:43.519 of your state of mind 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:44.319 that you are suffering. 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:46.200 And to this worldview, 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:48.460 the response to suffering 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:49.899 is to meditate ourselves 00:17:49.899 --> 00:17:51.559 out of that desire 00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:53.299 so that we can then 00:17:53.299 --> 00:17:55.159 be free of all desire 00:17:55.159 --> 00:17:55.980 and therefore free 00:17:55.980 --> 00:17:56.680 of all suffering. 00:17:56.899 --> 00:17:58.319 So the reason you struggle 00:17:58.319 --> 00:17:59.539 when you lose a family member 00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:00.440 is because you love them, 00:18:00.579 --> 00:18:01.480 you desired them, 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:02.259 you were attached to them. 00:18:02.420 --> 00:18:03.519 So if you meditate yourself 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:04.420 out of that desire 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:05.799 when you lose a family member 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:06.839 or lose a job 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:07.619 or lose a friendship, 00:18:07.619 --> 00:18:09.099 then you won't suffer 00:18:09.099 --> 00:18:09.979 because you don't care. 00:18:10.439 --> 00:18:10.939 And ultimately, 00:18:11.259 --> 00:18:12.339 this worldview culminates 00:18:12.339 --> 00:18:14.179 in the complete extinguishing 00:18:14.179 --> 00:18:15.299 of the self. 00:18:15.879 --> 00:18:16.659 You meditate yourself 00:18:16.659 --> 00:18:18.219 completely out of all desire, 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:19.539 out of all consciousness. 00:18:20.479 --> 00:18:21.899 Then there's a fourth category 00:18:21.899 --> 00:18:22.859 of worldviews 00:18:22.859 --> 00:18:24.479 which are the atheistic worldviews. 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:25.599 And if they are being honest 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:26.079 with you, 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:27.479 honest with us, 00:18:28.159 --> 00:18:29.459 their response to suffering 00:18:29.459 --> 00:18:30.039 is that suffering 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:30.599 is meaningless. 00:18:31.399 --> 00:18:32.519 Because if the atheist 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:33.359 is being honest, 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:35.099 then everything is meaningless 00:18:35.099 --> 00:18:35.459 because, 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:36.859 as Richard Dawkins would say, 00:18:37.179 --> 00:18:38.139 we are simply time 00:18:38.139 --> 00:18:39.459 plus matter plus chance. 00:18:40.019 --> 00:18:41.259 And to paraphrase him directly, 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:42.579 in that kind of a world, 00:18:42.959 --> 00:18:43.959 some people are going to get rich, 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.059 some people are going to suffer, 00:18:45.379 --> 00:18:46.319 some people are going to get raped, 00:18:46.419 --> 00:18:47.339 some people are going to get killed, 00:18:47.459 --> 00:18:48.399 some people are going to get lucky, 00:18:48.659 --> 00:18:49.819 and there just isn't any reason 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:51.279 or meaning to any of it. 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:52.719 Now, 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:53.779 when you look at these 00:18:53.779 --> 00:18:54.859 four categories of worldview, 00:18:54.939 --> 00:18:55.659 I don't know about you, 00:18:55.740 --> 00:18:56.799 but I find them both 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:57.659 intellectually 00:18:57.659 --> 00:18:58.639 and more importantly, 00:18:59.039 --> 00:18:59.980 experientially, 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:01.619 not all that compelling. 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:03.039 Because in the midst 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:03.680 of suffering, 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:04.480 there is something 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:06.180 we are all looking for, 00:19:06.899 --> 00:19:08.019 no matter what we believe. 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:09.579 We are looking for comfort 00:19:09.579 --> 00:19:10.279 and strength 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:11.319 in the suffering, 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:13.000 and we're also looking 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:13.740 for a narrative 00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:14.639 of redemption 00:19:14.639 --> 00:19:15.539 and restoration 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:16.920 beyond the suffering. 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:18.240 So comfort and strength 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:19.059 in the suffering, 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:20.180 and the hope 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:21.480 of something better 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:23.379 beyond the suffering. 00:19:24.220 --> 00:19:25.200 And once again, 00:19:25.259 --> 00:19:25.700 when we look 00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:26.579 to the Christian message, 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:27.899 we see an incredible 00:19:27.899 --> 00:19:30.200 response to suffering, 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:31.220 not just an acknowledgement 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:31.680 of it, 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:32.580 not just a God 00:19:32.580 --> 00:19:33.519 who knows it's happening, 00:19:33.900 --> 00:19:34.340 but a God 00:19:34.340 --> 00:19:35.220 who doesn't say 00:19:35.220 --> 00:19:36.660 it doesn't mean anything, 00:19:37.120 --> 00:19:38.320 he doesn't say 00:19:38.320 --> 00:19:38.880 just shut up 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:39.440 and take it, 00:19:40.060 --> 00:19:40.779 he doesn't say, 00:19:41.380 --> 00:19:42.259 he doesn't throw down 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:43.160 a bunch of philosophies 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:43.660 or theories 00:19:43.660 --> 00:19:44.860 to meditate around it, 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:47.299 he literally steps down 00:19:47.299 --> 00:19:48.320 into the suffering 00:19:48.320 --> 00:19:49.140 as a person 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:50.860 and suffers for us. 00:19:51.100 --> 00:19:52.039 And not only that, 00:19:52.320 --> 00:19:53.700 takes all of the suffering 00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:54.860 of humankind 00:19:54.860 --> 00:19:55.960 and brokenness 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:56.620 and anxiety 00:19:56.620 --> 00:19:57.620 and imperfections 00:19:57.620 --> 00:19:58.460 and struggles 00:19:58.460 --> 00:19:59.039 and guilt 00:19:59.039 --> 00:19:59.519 and shame, 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:00.279 takes it all 00:20:00.279 --> 00:20:00.960 onto himself 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:01.960 and dies 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:02.539 on a cross 00:20:02.539 --> 00:20:04.039 for us. 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:04.860 This is a God 00:20:04.860 --> 00:20:06.200 who came into the world 00:20:06.200 --> 00:20:08.059 to step into our suffering. 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:09.400 That was the primary reason 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:10.480 for which he came 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:11.100 into the world. 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:12.860 A God who suffered 00:20:12.860 --> 00:20:13.500 for us 00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:14.200 and now 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:15.500 a God who is willing 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:16.039 to suffer 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:17.140 with us. 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:18.319 If we are willing 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:19.120 to take his hand, 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:19.840 Jesus says, 00:20:20.360 --> 00:20:20.799 take my hand 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:21.640 and we will conquer 00:20:21.640 --> 00:20:23.100 through the suffering. 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:24.360 We will conquer 00:20:24.360 --> 00:20:25.660 through the suffering. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:26.559 Now we see 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:28.120 in the life of Zacchaeus, 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:29.279 there must have been suffering. 00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:30.420 He was socially, 00:20:30.519 --> 00:20:31.059 as I've said, 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:32.299 socially ostracized. 00:20:32.399 --> 00:20:33.139 He was psychologically 00:20:33.139 --> 00:20:34.460 struggling. 00:20:34.619 --> 00:20:35.160 He was experiencing 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:36.519 social exclusion. 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:37.119 He might have been 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:37.879 suffering some mental 00:20:37.879 --> 00:20:38.399 ill health 00:20:38.399 --> 00:20:39.299 as a result of this. 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:40.259 We know that people 00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:41.500 are seeking acceptance. 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:43.139 People are seeking acceptance 00:20:43.139 --> 00:20:43.759 and freedom 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:44.819 from guilt and shame 00:20:44.819 --> 00:20:45.980 and Zacchaeus had 00:20:45.980 --> 00:20:47.139 guilt and shame 00:20:47.139 --> 00:20:48.079 in mountains. 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:49.319 Tax collectors 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:49.899 at that time 00:20:49.899 --> 00:20:50.339 were probably 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:51.480 the most guilted, 00:20:51.619 --> 00:20:52.299 shamed and hated 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:53.980 members of the Jewish community 00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:55.500 during the Roman rule. 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:57.740 And so Zacchaeus' suffering, 00:20:57.839 --> 00:20:58.640 even amidst 00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:00.420 all of his material affluence, 00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:01.759 would have been significant. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:03.059 And he was reaching out 00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:04.099 for rescue 00:21:04.099 --> 00:21:05.180 in the suffering. 00:21:05.420 --> 00:21:06.259 Not for theories 00:21:06.259 --> 00:21:07.220 on how to get around it, 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:08.059 not for ways 00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:09.180 of how to meditate himself 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:10.480 to detach from it. 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:11.640 He wanted rescue 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:12.420 from it. 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:13.339 And he ran 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:14.819 to find Jesus 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:16.440 as a means of rescue. 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:17.559 And the cross 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:18.519 of Jesus Christ, 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:20.059 which followed 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:21.059 not far after 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:22.460 the story of Zacchaeus, 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:23.400 where Jesus goes 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:24.039 to a cross, 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:25.980 dies for our suffering, 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:26.759 our sins, 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.399 our brokenness, 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:27.920 our struggles, 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:29.899 then defeats all of that 00:21:29.899 --> 00:21:31.359 by rising from the dead, 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:32.700 affirming and proving 00:21:32.700 --> 00:21:33.339 who he is. 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:33.980 Again, getting back 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:34.599 to the evidence, 00:21:35.139 --> 00:21:36.000 proving who he is. 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:37.319 Now reaches out, 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:38.200 not just to Zacchaeus, 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.019 but to all of us 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:41.399 as a means of rescue 00:21:41.399 --> 00:21:42.240 from our suffering 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:43.339 through him 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:44.099 and with him. 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:44.960 And he offers us 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:45.420 the two things 00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:46.099 we're all looking for, 00:21:46.379 --> 00:21:47.079 comfort, strength 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:48.000 within the suffering 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.639 and an eternal hope, 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:51.599 an eternal future 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:52.319 where there'll be 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:53.139 no more suffering 00:21:53.139 --> 00:21:53.920 at all. 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:55.460 So truth is indispensable, 00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:57.359 suffering is unavoidable, 00:21:58.119 --> 00:21:59.200 thirdly and finally, 00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:01.099 happiness is not enough. 00:22:01.420 --> 00:22:02.599 And this is an important one 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:03.639 because you could make the case 00:22:03.639 --> 00:22:04.980 that this is the only answer 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:05.399 that matters. 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:06.799 I think the indispensability 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:07.319 of truth 00:22:07.319 --> 00:22:08.500 and the ubiquitousness 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:09.099 of suffering 00:22:09.099 --> 00:22:10.379 are deeply relevant. 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:11.960 But the fact that happiness 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:12.680 is not enough 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:13.220 is something 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:14.279 that resonates 00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:15.139 with all of us 00:22:15.139 --> 00:22:16.059 if we are honest 00:22:16.059 --> 00:22:16.779 with ourselves. 00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:17.740 And once again, 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:18.899 we see this playing out 00:22:18.899 --> 00:22:20.440 in the life of Zacchaeus, 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:21.519 in what actually got him 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.039 out of bed 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:22.859 that morning 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:24.339 to go and investigate 00:22:24.339 --> 00:22:25.400 this Jesus. 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:26.480 Because on any measure, 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.220 the paradigms of fulfillment 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:29.339 that we build now 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:30.859 of wealth 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:31.879 and convenience 00:22:31.879 --> 00:22:33.180 and the capacity 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:34.359 to attain 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:35.000 a high quality 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:35.539 of life, 00:22:36.019 --> 00:22:37.200 Zacchaeus had all of those things 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:38.019 in many, many ways. 00:22:38.139 --> 00:22:38.400 Yes, 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:39.359 he had suffering, 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:40.539 but he also 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:42.160 could have made the case 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:43.500 that if wealth 00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:44.619 was all he was looking for, 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:45.980 then he was happy. 00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:47.480 But again and again, 00:22:47.620 --> 00:22:48.880 we see people 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:49.700 who have followed 00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:51.440 and have fulfilled 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:53.599 the paradigms of happiness 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:54.579 that we have built, 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:56.839 whether it's through celebrity, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:58.539 through professional success, 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:00.299 through sex, 00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:01.279 through drugs, 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:02.120 through alcohol, 00:23:02.660 --> 00:23:04.160 through Facebook friends, 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:05.240 through Instagram followers, 00:23:05.460 --> 00:23:06.640 through financial security, 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:08.519 through status and reputation, 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:09.640 through personal 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:10.759 and social popularity, 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:12.259 whatever it might be, 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:13.980 people get to the top 00:23:13.980 --> 00:23:15.779 and then they realize 00:23:15.779 --> 00:23:16.579 that it's not enough. 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:17.799 Again, 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:19.319 not to double down 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:20.000 on Jim Carrey 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.740 after mentioning 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:21.440 The Truman Show, 00:23:21.880 --> 00:23:23.779 but in an interview, 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:24.519 I think way back 00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:25.120 in the 90s, 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:25.640 there was a year 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:26.220 where Jim Carrey 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:27.700 was the highest grossing 00:23:27.700 --> 00:23:28.420 actor in Hollywood 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:30.579 and he was asked 00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:31.440 in an interview, 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:32.460 at the end of the interview, 00:23:32.779 --> 00:23:33.160 they said, 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:34.319 do you have a message 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:35.440 for your young fans, 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:36.539 for maybe that actor 00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:37.620 who's just starting out, 00:23:38.120 --> 00:23:38.920 do you have any words 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:39.640 of wisdom for them 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:40.620 from your experience 00:23:40.620 --> 00:23:41.680 of climbing to the top? 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:42.339 Because clearly, 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:43.180 you're at the top 00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:43.839 of your profession. 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:45.940 And Jim Carrey paused 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:46.839 and he looked into the camera 00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:47.319 and he said, 00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:50.140 I wish that all aspiring actors 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:51.860 could see what I see now, 00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:53.500 that when you get to the top, 00:23:54.059 --> 00:23:55.140 there is nothing here. 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:57.220 That when you get to the top, 00:23:57.660 --> 00:23:58.660 there is nothing here. 00:23:59.360 --> 00:24:00.519 Happiness is quite simply 00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:01.460 not enough. 00:24:01.620 --> 00:24:02.420 And when we look 00:24:02.420 --> 00:24:03.579 at the Christian message, 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:04.140 once again, 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:04.940 we see why 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:06.180 and we see how 00:24:06.180 --> 00:24:07.240 we can find redemption 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:08.279 from this problem. 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:10.099 And it's because of this. 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:11.099 If you look 00:24:11.099 --> 00:24:12.599 at secular dictionaries, 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:13.799 at the definition of happiness, 00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:14.700 it talks about 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:16.039 a sensory experience, 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:16.660 a feeling. 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:17.980 Happiness is a feeling 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:19.900 that is necessarily temporary 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:21.039 because it's based on 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:22.400 temporary circumstances. 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:23.059 It's based on 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:23.880 the five senses 00:24:23.880 --> 00:24:24.559 that we've got 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:26.140 and our external environment 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:27.680 and how our senses 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:28.460 respond to that. 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:29.299 And that could be, 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:29.539 you know, 00:24:29.620 --> 00:24:30.299 at a party 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:31.620 or in response to alcohol 00:24:31.620 --> 00:24:32.660 or in response to 00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:33.480 physical touch 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:34.099 or in response to 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:34.880 a great academic 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:36.000 or financial achievement 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.140 or a wedding 00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:38.039 or the birth of a child. 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:38.859 It's all about 00:24:38.859 --> 00:24:39.819 these events, 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:40.579 these necessarily 00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:41.579 temporary events 00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:42.639 that we feel something. 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:44.460 Then if you look 00:24:44.460 --> 00:24:46.240 at the definition of joy, 00:24:46.420 --> 00:24:47.319 the secular definition 00:24:47.319 --> 00:24:47.859 of joy, 00:24:48.159 --> 00:24:49.159 and what you see 00:24:49.159 --> 00:24:49.920 at best 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:51.180 is that joy 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:51.779 is considered 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:53.039 by the world out there 00:24:53.039 --> 00:24:53.940 simply to be 00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:54.879 a whole lot of happiness. 00:24:55.539 --> 00:24:56.259 So the definition 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:57.460 of happiness points to joy 00:24:57.460 --> 00:24:57.899 and the definition 00:24:57.899 --> 00:24:59.000 of joy points to happiness. 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:00.639 And so most people think 00:25:00.639 --> 00:25:01.420 that joy 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:02.299 is just a whole lot 00:25:02.299 --> 00:25:02.819 of happiness. 00:25:02.819 --> 00:25:04.439 Just a whole lot 00:25:04.439 --> 00:25:05.139 of happiness. 00:25:05.379 --> 00:25:06.859 A quantitatively different 00:25:06.859 --> 00:25:08.139 amount of happiness. 00:25:08.679 --> 00:25:10.099 But in the Christian message, 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:11.439 joy and happiness 00:25:11.439 --> 00:25:12.019 are not just 00:25:12.019 --> 00:25:12.960 quantitatively different. 00:25:13.460 --> 00:25:15.059 They are qualitatively different. 00:25:15.639 --> 00:25:16.359 Because happiness 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:17.439 is based on 00:25:17.439 --> 00:25:18.700 temporary circumstances, 00:25:18.899 --> 00:25:20.079 temporary experiences, 00:25:20.679 --> 00:25:22.200 a temporary state of affairs. 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:23.879 Whereas joy is based 00:25:23.879 --> 00:25:25.500 on eternal circumstances. 00:25:25.859 --> 00:25:26.679 It's based on 00:25:26.679 --> 00:25:27.339 an up-close 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:28.559 and personal relationship 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.960 with God himself 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:32.039 through the person of Jesus. 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:33.539 And that is unchanging. 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:34.399 That is where 00:25:34.399 --> 00:25:35.480 followers of Jesus 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:36.579 draw their joy. 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:37.539 It's an outpouring. 00:25:37.940 --> 00:25:38.740 And at that point, 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:40.680 joy is something 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:41.440 that you are, 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:42.440 not something 00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:43.180 that you feel. 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:44.539 It is permanent, 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:45.599 not temporary. 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:47.920 It is eternal, 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:48.879 not temporal. 00:25:49.319 --> 00:25:50.159 And it is something 00:25:50.159 --> 00:25:51.039 that transcends 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:52.619 and is immune 00:25:52.619 --> 00:25:53.920 to the ups and downs 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:54.480 of the world, 00:25:54.579 --> 00:25:55.359 even the suffering 00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:56.339 in the world. 00:25:56.599 --> 00:25:57.420 So Christians 00:25:57.420 --> 00:25:58.339 and others 00:25:58.339 --> 00:25:59.339 might feel happiness, 00:25:59.659 --> 00:26:00.240 but when you're 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:01.039 a follower of Jesus, 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:02.359 when you're 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:03.119 a follower of Jesus, 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:04.500 you are joy. 00:26:05.079 --> 00:26:05.799 And in the midst 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:06.259 of that joy, 00:26:06.339 --> 00:26:07.139 your happiness levels 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:07.639 will continue 00:26:07.639 --> 00:26:08.519 to go up and down. 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:09.799 Because as Marilyn 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:10.460 Robinson said, 00:26:10.519 --> 00:26:11.200 the world is broken 00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:11.940 and we are broken. 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:13.480 But there is an underlying 00:26:13.480 --> 00:26:14.659 sense of being 00:26:14.659 --> 00:26:15.399 and who we are 00:26:15.399 --> 00:26:16.639 where we are consistently 00:26:16.639 --> 00:26:18.440 and constantly rejoicing 00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:19.259 in the reality 00:26:19.259 --> 00:26:20.319 of the wonder 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:20.940 that we are in 00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:21.859 right relationship 00:26:21.859 --> 00:26:22.639 with our Creator. 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:23.579 We know 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:24.519 where we are going. 00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:25.359 We have access 00:26:25.359 --> 00:26:27.019 to this supernatural love, 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:28.579 to this supernatural rescue 00:26:28.579 --> 00:26:29.579 from our suffering 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:30.960 through the person 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:32.500 who is truth itself, 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:33.899 Jesus Christ. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:35.819 C.S. Lewis put it 00:26:35.819 --> 00:26:36.240 really well 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.599 as he so often does. 00:26:37.879 --> 00:26:38.319 He says, 00:26:38.359 --> 00:26:39.319 and I'm paraphrasing him, 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:40.439 he says, 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:41.679 we are too often 00:26:41.679 --> 00:26:42.379 and so often 00:26:42.379 --> 00:26:43.759 just preoccupied 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:44.879 with making mud pies 00:26:44.879 --> 00:26:45.559 in the backyard 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:46.879 that we don't consider 00:26:46.879 --> 00:26:47.480 for a moment 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:48.659 the possibility 00:26:48.659 --> 00:26:49.379 of a holiday 00:26:49.379 --> 00:26:50.299 at the seaside. 00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:51.839 And it doesn't mean 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:52.619 that we're not happy 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:53.159 in the moment. 00:26:53.740 --> 00:26:54.339 It doesn't mean 00:26:54.339 --> 00:26:55.079 that the mud pies 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:55.659 aren't fun. 00:26:56.040 --> 00:26:56.500 It doesn't mean 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:56.980 that we can't get 00:26:56.980 --> 00:26:57.640 really good 00:26:57.640 --> 00:26:59.200 at making mud pies. 00:26:59.840 --> 00:27:01.220 But the reality is 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:03.140 that if we are closed off, 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.000 if we throw God 00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:04.720 out of the picture, 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:06.140 all we are left with 00:27:06.140 --> 00:27:07.320 are the paradigms 00:27:07.320 --> 00:27:07.880 of happiness 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:08.740 and the systems 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:09.560 of fulfillment 00:27:09.560 --> 00:27:10.600 that we build 00:27:10.600 --> 00:27:11.320 for ourselves. 00:27:11.620 --> 00:27:12.519 And they might work 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:13.080 really well, 00:27:13.300 --> 00:27:14.140 but what if there 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:14.800 is something better? 00:27:15.580 --> 00:27:16.720 What if there is more? 00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:18.100 And when we think 00:27:18.100 --> 00:27:19.100 about that possibility, 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:20.259 that God might have 00:27:20.259 --> 00:27:21.519 something better for us 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:22.400 than anything we can 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:22.860 put together 00:27:22.860 --> 00:27:23.720 in our own strength, 00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:25.400 then the answer 00:27:25.400 --> 00:27:25.880 to the question 00:27:25.880 --> 00:27:26.400 becomes very, 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:26.900 very simple. 00:27:27.360 --> 00:27:28.160 Why bother with God 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:28.759 if I'm happy? 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:30.079 Well, quite possibly 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:31.720 because we have no idea 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:33.100 of the kind of happiness 00:27:33.100 --> 00:27:34.059 and joy that God 00:27:34.059 --> 00:27:34.860 has for us. 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:36.319 Well and truly 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:37.140 above and beyond 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:38.700 even our wildest dreams, 00:27:39.100 --> 00:27:39.360 hopes, 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:40.559 and imagination. 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:42.700 Truth is indispensable, 00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:44.620 suffering is unavoidable, 00:27:45.100 --> 00:27:46.559 and happiness is not enough. 00:27:46.860 --> 00:27:47.839 And when we are walking 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:48.519 with the person 00:27:48.519 --> 00:27:49.319 of Jesus Christ, 00:27:49.319 --> 00:27:51.700 we are backed up 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:52.439 in our beliefs 00:27:52.439 --> 00:27:53.019 and our faith 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:54.960 by the propositional evidence, 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:56.480 which is made real 00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:57.939 by the personal evidence 00:27:57.939 --> 00:27:58.659 of a person 00:27:58.659 --> 00:27:59.679 who claims to be 00:27:59.679 --> 00:28:00.439 and is the truth, 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:01.200 Jesus himself, 00:28:01.419 --> 00:28:02.720 which is then manifested 00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:04.599 through relational evidence. 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:06.200 So the indispensability 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:06.819 of truth 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:08.319 is strengthened 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:09.019 and made real 00:28:09.019 --> 00:28:09.599 in our lives 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:10.639 three times over. 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:12.579 Through that walk 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:13.039 with Jesus, 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:14.359 we are then restored 00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:15.720 through our suffering. 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:17.039 And the Bible says 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:17.839 we conquer 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:19.000 through the suffering. 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:20.240 You don't ignore it, 00:28:20.279 --> 00:28:20.919 you don't avoid it, 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:21.359 you don't pretend 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:21.980 it's not real. 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:22.700 Jesus says, 00:28:22.759 --> 00:28:23.279 take my hand, 00:28:23.339 --> 00:28:24.500 we are going through it. 00:28:24.899 --> 00:28:25.419 It's okay, 00:28:25.679 --> 00:28:26.519 I've been there before, 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:27.519 I've got this. 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:29.139 And finally, 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:29.779 we get access 00:28:29.779 --> 00:28:30.960 to the supernatural joy 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:32.679 that is qualitatively 00:28:32.679 --> 00:28:33.379 different to happiness, 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:34.659 not quantitatively different. 00:28:34.980 --> 00:28:36.279 And then we are empowered 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:37.439 and strengthened 00:28:37.439 --> 00:28:38.720 to go out into the world 00:28:38.720 --> 00:28:40.019 and pour out 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.819 the love of God 00:28:40.819 --> 00:28:42.079 onto the lives 00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:42.659 of other people 00:28:42.659 --> 00:28:43.559 and point them 00:28:43.559 --> 00:28:44.519 to the indispensability 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:45.019 of truth 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:45.859 and point them 00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:46.659 to the cross 00:28:46.659 --> 00:28:47.399 of Jesus Christ, 00:28:47.519 --> 00:28:48.720 which is the greatest response 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:49.460 to suffering 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:50.180 in human history 00:28:50.180 --> 00:28:51.140 and point them 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:52.259 to the qualitatively 00:28:52.259 --> 00:28:53.839 different transcendent joy 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:54.759 that the message 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:56.059 of Jesus Christ offers us. 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:57.680 Zacchaeus found this 00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:58.140 that day. 00:28:58.759 --> 00:28:59.519 He found it 00:28:59.519 --> 00:29:00.299 because he knew 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:01.759 the truth was indispensable, 00:29:02.220 --> 00:29:03.100 suffering was unavoidable 00:29:03.100 --> 00:29:03.680 and happiness 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:04.339 was not enough. 00:29:04.600 --> 00:29:05.279 And he found 00:29:05.279 --> 00:29:06.740 the truth 00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:07.700 in a person that day. 00:29:07.779 --> 00:29:08.759 He met the truth. 00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:10.579 He found restoration 00:29:10.579 --> 00:29:11.940 through his suffering 00:29:11.940 --> 00:29:13.160 and conquest through it 00:29:13.160 --> 00:29:14.620 and a redemptive hope 00:29:14.620 --> 00:29:15.620 and a future without it 00:29:15.620 --> 00:29:17.039 through relationship 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:17.619 with Jesus. 00:29:18.299 --> 00:29:18.960 And then finally 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:19.799 he found that happiness 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:20.759 was simply not enough. 00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:21.799 He understood 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:24.039 at the beginning of the day 00:29:24.039 --> 00:29:24.819 but even more so 00:29:24.819 --> 00:29:25.500 at the end of the day 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:27.359 that for his ultimate 00:29:27.359 --> 00:29:28.680 fulfillment and flourishing 00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:30.379 he needed something 00:29:30.379 --> 00:29:31.680 beyond the temporary happiness 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:32.619 that he could seek 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:33.839 and find himself. 00:29:34.039 --> 00:29:34.980 My hope for you today 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:36.059 is that wherever you are 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.619 in your walk with God, 00:29:38.039 --> 00:29:39.279 in your struggle with God, 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:40.599 or perhaps in your rejection 00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:41.059 of God, 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:42.899 that you might continue in 00:29:42.899 --> 00:29:44.039 or perhaps commence anew 00:29:44.039 --> 00:29:45.960 to search for that truth 00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:46.619 that's indispensable 00:29:46.619 --> 00:29:47.379 to your heart, 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:49.259 to give your suffering 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:50.159 to this Jesus 00:29:50.159 --> 00:29:50.960 who came and conquered 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:51.799 suffering for you 00:29:51.799 --> 00:29:53.879 and to seek out that joy 00:29:53.879 --> 00:29:54.639 that comes through 00:29:54.639 --> 00:29:56.139 all of the yearnings 00:29:56.139 --> 00:29:57.440 that we look for 00:29:57.440 --> 00:29:58.200 and can ultimately 00:29:58.200 --> 00:29:58.960 only be fulfilled 00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:00.259 in Jesus Christ. 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:01.019 Forgiveness, 00:30:01.579 --> 00:30:01.940 peace, 00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:02.920 assurance, 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:03.839 acceptance, 00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:04.940 significance 00:30:04.940 --> 00:30:07.259 and ultimately joy. 00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:09.279 May God bless you. 00:30:09.420 --> 00:30:10.059 Thank you for giving me 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:10.799 a hearing this morning. 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:11.879 Take care of yourselves 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:12.400 and I look forward 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:13.360 to seeing you in person 00:30:13.360 --> 00:30:15.120 as soon as the Lord wills it. 00:30:15.900 --> 00:30:16.120 Cheers. 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:18.880 Great. 00:30:18.980 --> 00:30:19.180 Max, 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:20.020 thank you so much 00:30:20.020 --> 00:30:21.580 for bringing that word 00:30:21.580 --> 00:30:23.160 to us this morning. 00:30:23.540 --> 00:30:24.680 Thank you for reminding us 00:30:24.680 --> 00:30:25.640 that Jesus Christ 00:30:25.640 --> 00:30:27.180 is not only real, 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:28.260 but he's the one 00:30:28.260 --> 00:30:29.360 in whom true life 00:30:29.360 --> 00:30:30.560 and joy 00:30:30.560 --> 00:30:32.120 and purpose 00:30:32.120 --> 00:30:33.960 and deep satisfaction 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:35.360 is found. 00:30:36.340 --> 00:30:36.660 Friends, 00:30:36.680 --> 00:30:37.500 let's respond 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:39.060 to this this morning. 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:41.300 I wonder if some of us here 00:30:41.299 --> 00:30:42.619 are followers of Jesus 00:30:42.619 --> 00:30:44.740 and yet if we're honest 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:45.419 with ourselves, 00:30:45.419 --> 00:30:47.000 we worship Christ 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:47.720 on a Sunday, 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:49.639 but most of our lives 00:30:49.639 --> 00:30:50.299 are spent 00:30:50.299 --> 00:30:51.700 trying to find meaning 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:52.419 and purpose 00:30:52.419 --> 00:30:53.559 and true happiness 00:30:53.559 --> 00:30:55.419 outside of Christ 00:30:55.419 --> 00:30:57.079 in the things 00:30:57.079 --> 00:30:58.039 of our lives. 00:30:58.879 --> 00:31:00.579 Maybe we've used God 00:31:00.579 --> 00:31:01.259 as a means 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:02.500 to try to find happiness 00:31:02.500 --> 00:31:04.180 rather than recognizing 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:05.220 that true joy, 00:31:05.879 --> 00:31:06.299 true meaning 00:31:06.299 --> 00:31:06.680 and purpose 00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:07.659 is found in him. 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:10.220 Maybe some of us 00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:10.740 this morning 00:31:10.740 --> 00:31:12.160 would not consider ourselves 00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:12.920 followers of Jesus 00:31:12.920 --> 00:31:13.420 at all. 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:15.900 Maybe we've searched 00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:16.820 far and wide 00:31:16.820 --> 00:31:17.860 to look for 00:31:17.860 --> 00:31:18.540 the meaning 00:31:18.540 --> 00:31:19.519 and the purpose 00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:20.680 and the deep joy 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:21.440 and satisfaction 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:22.680 that Max has spoken 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:23.440 about this morning. 00:31:24.340 --> 00:31:25.140 Maybe you've looked 00:31:25.140 --> 00:31:26.080 for it in work 00:31:26.080 --> 00:31:26.779 or your career. 00:31:27.620 --> 00:31:28.340 Maybe you've looked 00:31:28.340 --> 00:31:29.600 for it in your children. 00:31:30.460 --> 00:31:31.240 Or maybe you've looked 00:31:31.240 --> 00:31:32.100 for it in your parents' 00:31:32.300 --> 00:31:32.640 approval. 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:34.460 Maybe in money, 00:31:34.600 --> 00:31:35.180 in wealth, 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:37.279 or a romantic relationship 00:31:37.279 --> 00:31:38.080 or a partner. 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:40.740 Whether you're a follower 00:31:40.740 --> 00:31:41.680 of Jesus this morning 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:42.620 or whether you consider 00:31:42.620 --> 00:31:44.220 yourself not spiritual, 00:31:44.539 --> 00:31:45.480 whether you're a believer 00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:46.660 or you consider yourself 00:31:46.660 --> 00:31:47.600 not a believer, 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:49.560 this morning God, 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:50.680 the God who created 00:31:50.680 --> 00:31:51.060 the world, 00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:51.900 the God who created 00:31:51.900 --> 00:31:52.400 you and I 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:53.140 is looking us 00:31:53.140 --> 00:31:53.700 in the eye 00:31:53.700 --> 00:31:55.340 and he's not only 00:31:55.340 --> 00:31:56.120 calling us 00:31:56.120 --> 00:31:57.039 to align ourselves 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:57.640 to the truth 00:31:57.640 --> 00:31:58.279 of who he is, 00:31:58.600 --> 00:31:59.660 he's offering us 00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:00.259 an invitation. 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:02.759 He's inviting us 00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:04.100 to come and find 00:32:04.099 --> 00:32:05.500 hope and joy, 00:32:06.059 --> 00:32:07.219 meaning and purpose, 00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:08.459 true happiness, 00:32:08.819 --> 00:32:09.919 lasting life, 00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:11.679 not in the things 00:32:11.679 --> 00:32:12.099 of this world 00:32:12.099 --> 00:32:12.939 that can so easily 00:32:12.939 --> 00:32:14.459 fade and fall away, 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:16.799 but in who he is, 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:18.879 in his everlasting promise 00:32:18.879 --> 00:32:20.379 in the person 00:32:20.379 --> 00:32:21.599 of Jesus. 00:32:23.199 --> 00:32:25.359 I want to give each one 00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:26.079 of us a chance 00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:27.159 to respond. 00:32:28.919 --> 00:32:29.899 And one of the ways 00:32:29.899 --> 00:32:30.500 that we respond 00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:31.740 is firstly by acknowledging 00:32:31.740 --> 00:32:32.799 the things in our lives 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:33.639 that we've looked to 00:32:33.639 --> 00:32:35.039 for meaning and purpose, 00:32:35.379 --> 00:32:36.680 for joy and satisfaction. 00:32:37.379 --> 00:32:38.480 The Bible's got a word 00:32:38.480 --> 00:32:38.779 for this. 00:32:38.859 --> 00:32:39.759 It's actually the word 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:40.259 repentance. 00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:41.559 And when we hear 00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:41.940 that word, 00:32:41.980 --> 00:32:43.399 it can sound very heavy 00:32:43.399 --> 00:32:46.559 and negative, 00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:47.960 but actually, 00:32:48.339 --> 00:32:49.619 the Bible's invitation 00:32:49.619 --> 00:32:50.299 for repentance 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:51.940 is always an invitation 00:32:51.940 --> 00:32:53.720 to come and find life, 00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:55.599 to find true life. 00:32:56.139 --> 00:32:56.879 It's an invitation 00:32:56.879 --> 00:32:58.899 to let go of the things 00:32:58.899 --> 00:33:00.460 that promise so much 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:01.420 but don't deliver 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:03.500 and to find true life 00:33:03.500 --> 00:33:03.980 and joy 00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:04.680 in the one 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:05.680 who really does. 00:33:07.120 --> 00:33:08.420 I want to ask us 00:33:08.420 --> 00:33:09.740 to take a few moments. 00:33:10.200 --> 00:33:11.259 Let's take 30 seconds 00:33:11.259 --> 00:33:12.700 and just on your own, 00:33:13.440 --> 00:33:14.880 think about where is it 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:15.660 that you're looking 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:17.240 for true and lasting joy? 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:19.079 What is the one thing 00:33:19.079 --> 00:33:20.079 that you could not 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:20.640 live without? 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:23.559 Let's take a few minutes 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:24.500 and think about that 00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:25.319 right now. 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:25.659 If you don't mariage me, 00:33:25.659 --> 00:33:27.679 let's take 20 seconds 00:33:27.679 --> 00:33:28.240 because you're listening 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:28.339 to this. 00:33:28.919 --> 00:33:29.419 Let's take 20 minutes 00:33:29.419 --> 00:33:29.799 and see you first 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:30.059 in the 2nd term 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:30.700 to identify you 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:30.759 for true and merkwに 00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:31.279 to be able to maintain 00:33:31.279 --> 00:33:31.919 your feet 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:32.799 and you want to make 00:33:32.939 --> 00:33:33.240 yea 00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:33.659 for love and 난 00:33:33.659 --> 00:33:34.019 be as good 00:33:34.019 --> 00:33:34.259 as possible. 00:33:34.299 --> 00:33:34.819 For love and pastor 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:35.279 remember, 00:33:35.419 --> 00:33:36.240 and if you're looking 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:36.339 as well asking 00:33:36.439 --> 00:33:36.819 to be as the opening 00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:37.559 again, 00:33:37.599 --> 00:33:38.379 there, 00:33:38.379 --> 00:33:38.639 let's try 249 to see 00:33:38.639 --> 00:33:51.099 the 프로 00:33:51.159 --> 00:33:51.899 andayer, 00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:53.159 I hope 00:33:53.159 --> 00:33:54.579 and Kane 00:33:54.579 --> 00:34:03.359 Will you join me in a moment of prayer? 00:34:03.639 --> 00:34:04.399 Let's pray together. 00:34:08.340 --> 00:34:13.840 Oh, sovereign God, the one who created everything in existence, 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:17.079 and yet the one who invites us to come and call you Father. 00:34:19.279 --> 00:34:24.059 Jesus Christ, the one who walked the dusty roads of this world, 00:34:24.579 --> 00:34:30.259 who saw the pain in the eyes and felt the tears of those that are hurting, 00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:38.400 those who looked in the eye of those that had looked for meaning and purpose in so many places and felt empty. 00:34:39.539 --> 00:34:44.480 Oh, Holy Spirit, the one who is alive and real and at work in our lives now, 00:34:44.480 --> 00:34:51.319 we come before you now, and we ask you, God, to come and invade our lives. 00:34:51.320 --> 00:34:59.240 We ask you, God, to open the eyes of our hearts to see what it is that we've been looking to for meaning and purpose, 00:35:00.080 --> 00:35:02.780 where we've sought for joy and happiness. 00:35:04.660 --> 00:35:10.820 And God, come and help us to see that all those things are truly, ultimately, found in you. 00:35:11.660 --> 00:35:13.059 They're not found in a concept. 00:35:13.260 --> 00:35:14.340 They're not found in a religion. 00:35:14.580 --> 00:35:16.920 They're not found in a philosophy or in a teaching. 00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:22.519 They're found in a person, the person of Jesus Christ, the living God. 00:35:23.680 --> 00:35:27.740 God, we ask you to, more than that, won't you pour faith into our hearts? 00:35:27.860 --> 00:35:29.380 Won't you help us to trust you? 00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:37.500 Won't you help us, God, to see that the invitation you offer to us and to say yes? 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:43.480 God, we want to say we're sorry for looking in everywhere apart from you, 00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:48.260 looking to our jobs and our families, to romance and to our wallets, 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:54.159 for the things that only you can give us, true meaning, true purpose, true satisfaction, 00:35:55.019 --> 00:36:00.760 true life and happiness, faith, and everlasting joy. 00:36:00.760 --> 00:36:05.160 Jesus, we come before you now and say, have your way in our life. 00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:07.940 Come and have your way, we pray. 00:36:10.040 --> 00:36:15.860 We pray this in your gracious, your compassionate, your sympathetic, 00:36:16.800 --> 00:36:18.220 and yet your sovereign name. 00:36:19.800 --> 00:36:20.160 Amen.